Years ago I participated in ACTT Naturally’s Hearts and Harmony program at Long Shadows Farm in Cambridge, NY which gently guided me home, back to the ground of my being, into deep experiencing of instincts I had somehow lost…. and forgotten. Through engaging Natural Horsemanship principles, these amazing Thoroughbred horses have been retrained by Valerie Buck from being the sport of kings to literally being dancing partners, humanizing what the modern world routinely dehumanizes as a matter of natural course. It was in that dance, through the lens of the horse’s instincts, that the mind-body-spirit insight into the primal “Yes” of God woke in me and I have been dialoguing with and teaching from this point ever since. Inside the dance something deeply fundamental in the mystery of our being is confirmed and resurrected.
In the summer of 2019 I began partnering with Valerie, blending the spiritual practice of Natural Horsemanship and Kairos (holy time) contemplative practices to guide participants into accessing deep interior resources. Participants are invited to leave the city for a restorative retreat that will enlarge their vision, imagination, and leadership in any context, in any role we play in this great theatre of life.
Learning to engage the spirit of a horse opens our hearts to listen, lead, and reconnect to our core instincts, our bodies, our voice, our spirit, our truth — all that lies on the axis of personal authority — with a form of intention and grace that only nature can summon. These beautiful creatures help us remember our natural, best selves and hear our deepest calls into wholeness which is too easily suffocated by real survival needs and worldy demands. Meeting them at Long Shadows farm in Cambridge is a real return and with each meeting, I bring something back with me to this world.
